Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Shunda K "The Most Wanted," "I'm The Best" maxi-single

(Fanatic) Because they were so awesome it seemed OK to ignore the "exoticism" involved with Yo! Majesty becoming hipster superstars a few years back. Real-live black foulmouthed crazy-assed lesbians seemed too good to be true for some audiences, and coupling them with acts like CSS and Peaches -- women who seemed to pray they could become real-live black foulmouthed crazy-assed lesbians -- was just too perfect. But, among other things, what made the group worth the hype was that Shunda K and Shon B offered a legitimately different perspective, and their reunion single "I'm the Best" (with about 867 remixes, French rapping included) offers some of the best examples of that. Shunda K, invoking God and Satan, is legitimately riled by scriptural sexism, her concerns about abuse are harsh and heartfelt, and while her (and Shon B's) "I'm Da Best" mantra is functional old school boast rap, it is also a non-didactic, non-corny battle cry against the mindset of female inferiority. So whatever reasons, legit or icky, people have for geeking out over this, hopefully the geekery will make this huge. Listening to the full-length CD gives further fuel to the fire that you should use to incinerate any thoughts of gimmickry. tokenism, exoticism, etc. when accessing Shunda K's worth. The fact is she is a crazy gifted rapper, capable of verbal gymnastics that would hobble a 12 year old Chinese tumbler, and possessing a voice as muscular as a shirtless boyfriend in a Tyler Perry play. These tenacious tracks are powerful, positive hip hop her-icanes of verbal dexterity and The Most Wanted leaves listeners wanting for nothing.